Iraqi composer Farouq Hilal dies in Baghdad at 91

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Farouq Hilal, one of Iraq's prominent composers, has died in Baghdad at the age of 91. His health had deteriorated after he suffered a stroke about a week earlier. Born in Baghdad in 1935, Hilal was widely known as the "philosopher" of Iraqi music. He graduated from the music department of the Institute of Fine Arts in 1957 and joined radio and television work in the early 1960s. Throughout his long career, Hilal composed dozens of pieces for leading singers of his era, including Mayada Al-Nazheet, Hussein Nim'a, Yass Hadir and Abdullah Al-Ruwaished. Among his well-known works are "Ya Sayyad Al-Samaj," "Seelt Annak," "Hattar Ajeena Al-Shak," "Kalawi Rah Wa Mashaa," "Allamni Aleik" and "Taalili."